WAR BETWEEN THE SAINTS

MY HUSBAND RESEMBLES ST. THOMAS, AQUINAS, THAT IS, UNFLAWED, BRIGHT, INTELLECTUAL AND A DEEP THINKER. HE'S STOLID, SOLID, PATIENT, OFTEN DUMB (QUIET), SOMETIMES STUBBORN (AS AN OX), BUT RELIABLE, DEVOTED TO HIS CALLING, AND, YES, A VERITABLE SAINT. I, ON THE OTHER HAND, RESEMBLE AN EARLY ST. AUGUSTINE, TOTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY FLAWED, WITH ORDINARY TALENTS AND A HABIT OF MULLING OVER EVERYTHING. I'M TOO OFTEN TALKATIVE, MOST TIMES SELFISH, BUT RELIABLE, DEVOTED TO MY CALLING AND, YES, IN SPITE OF PROTESTS, ASPIRE TO BE GOOD. I KNOW BOTH MEN - THOMAS AND AUGUSTINE - ARE REVERED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, ST. THOMAS FOR HIS INHERENT BELIEF IN THE BASIC GOODNESS OF MAN, ST. AUGUSTINE FOR HIS CONTENTION THAT MAN IS INHERENTLY FLAWED. BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE TWAIN HAVE MANIFESTED HOLINESS, LIVED EXEMPLARY LIVES AND DESERVED SAINTHOOD. OH, THAT THEY HAD BEEN BORN TO GREATNESS ON THE PATH OF MARRIAGE TO EACH OTHER. THEY WOULD HAVE ENCOUNTERED MANY BUSHES WITH THORNS OF CONFLICT. OPPOSITES LIKE MY HUSBAND AND I ATTRACT, BUT DISSIMILARITIES HAVE SOMETIMES REPULSED US.

WE’RE TRAPPED A CATCH 22 LIKE EXXON MOBIL OIL COMPANY. POLITICIANS AND THE PUBLIC CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT OIL, BUT THEY CAN'T STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROFITS FROM IT. WE TOO NEED EACH OTHER IN SPITE OF ‘SAINTLY’ CONTRASTS. AN INTRINSIC TENSION PROVIDES THE FORMULA OF EXXON'S SUCCESS; IT VALIDATES OUR MARITAL WAR.